Appearances
by emmylouuwho
Summary: Alternate version of the end of the bomb scene in 4.06. Jess/Becker of course.


"OK. Red wire."

_Red wire. Cut the red wire. Not the green wire,_ Jess repeated to herself._ You can do this. Cut the red wire, not the green wire. Just like the movies._ The only problem was that there was no green wire coming out of the detonator. There were simply two red wires._ Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God._

"Hurry, Jess. It's getting heavy."

"Um, there's no green wire," she said, panic creeping into her voice. "It's just two red wires." She took a shallow breath. "Which do I pick?"

Two red wires, one good, one bad. Which was which? _Oh God oh God... No. Get a grip Jessica! _She took a breath. _OK, fifty-fifty chance. I can do this..._

"You get out now! I mean it, Jess!" Becker's angry voice invaded her thoughts.

"Just shut up, OK?" She could still do this. She could. She had to. She couldn't just leave him here. "Just hang on. Give me a second. I can do this." She wouldn't leave him.

"Come on," he growled at her, and she couldn't tell whether he meant for her to hurry up and leave, or hurry up and pick a wire.

Several things happened in the same instant. Jess cut one of the wires; Becker leapt off the pressure pad, dropping the counterweight, and fell to the side of both; the metronome stopped; and a cable attached to the top of the bomb pulled off with a metallic snap. And that was it.

_We're still here._ Jess let out the breath she'd been holding. _We're still here. I did it. I saved him._

"It worked," she said incredulously, running over to where Becker was pulling himself up off the floor. "I did it!"

Jess threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own arms around his neck. Becker was holding her so tightly that she could scarcely breathe, but she didn't care. She simply wanted him to keep holding her.

"You are truly brilliant," he said, pulling away just enough to look into her face. He was smiling down at her, his eyes shining with admiration, and something Jess thought might be affection.

"I know," she said, grinning breathlessly from ear to ear. "I am!"

They hugged each other again, but this time was different. Becker's head was turned into the crook of her neck, and she could feel his breath on her skin. A noise to her left registered vaguely, and then Becker was pushing her away abruptly, brusquely. The backup team had arrived, and he had to keep up appearances in front of his men.

Jess felt her knees buckle as the adrenaline left her body, and she sank unceremoniously to the floor. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Between the bomb and how close she'd just been to Becker, her racing heart didn't seem to know which way was up anymore. The pounding in her ears almost drowned out the sound of Becker ordering his men about.

After a moment, a hand came into her view, and she looked up to see Becker offering to help her up. Jess took the proffered hand, and stood to her feet. He reached out to tuck a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear. She looked at him in surprise, but he'd already turned away to speak to a soldier approaching him with the results of their search.

Jess wasn't sure afterward whether it was the effect of nearly being blown to pieces that eliminated her inhibitions, or if she was simply fed up with Becker's social and emotional ineptitude. She stepped purposefully up behind Becker, who was talking to one of his men in furious, hushed tones, and put a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around with surprising ease to face her. Standing up on her toes, she pressed her lips to his, winding her arms about his neck. She felt Becker go rigid with shock for a split second, and then he had one hand buried in the hair at the back of her neck, the other on her hip, kissing her just as passionately as she was him. Jess thought she heard a cough to her left as Becker deepened the kiss, pulling her even closer. Then she was sure that someone cleared their throat quietly to cover up a snicker, and she smiled against his mouth, because Becker didn't seem to care. For that matter, neither did she. _To hell with appearances._


End file.
